Editor's note: This is the first of a four-part series detailing the eclectic and historic mix of homes in the Davis Shores area of Anastasia Island. Look for part two in Tuesday's St. Augustine Record.

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There are only 12 original Davis homes left to catch the tingly salt breeze in the Davis Shores neighborhood on northern Anastasia Island.

The house at 15 Montrano Ave. is one of them, and it's as picturesque today as it was when it was built in 1925 by developer David Paul Davis. He envisioned a grand plan to convert what was then marshland into a Venetian-styled paradise.

The clay-tiled, Mediterranean revival home is more intact than the real estate mogul's vision for the neighborhood that bears his name.

Davis built his vision on "the idea of paradise, of people coming to Florida to live a tropic life," said professor Roy Graham, director of College Preservation Programs at the University of Florida. "That's why you get these Mediterranean styles and plenty of palm trees in a neighborhood."

Davis Shores was supposed to have a hotel like the Biltmore and a yacht club, Graham said.

But the land bust of the 1920s washed out plans for canal-lined corridors, the yacht club was blown off course by a hurricane and the Great Depression put the nail in the coffin for the planned construction, said Ann Baird, a UF graduate student studying the neighborhood.

After Davis mysteriously disappeared in 1926 from a ship headed to France, no one remained to follow through on his plans, she said.

But this 2,200-square-foot home remains, one of the more modest among the homes that Davis constructed, said Barbara Williamson. Williamson and her husband, John Campbell, have owned the home since 2001.

About the home

Williamson has a photo in her living room of the home shortly after construction. The three-bedroom, two-bath house looks little different today, although one of the bedrooms has been converted to a den.

"I think what they were doing was relating to the Flagler buildings, by changing the Spanish style just a little and making it Italian," Graham explained.

And the arched doorway leads to a living room with a unique St. Augustine touch: a coquina fireplace.

"There's something about this that hearkens to old Florida," said Campbell, a Florida native and UF graduate. "There's a distinct European flavor in St. Augustine."

The stucco continues in to the living room, and Campbell thinks that this, too, is original.

"We were told that was a style of Mr. Davis," he said. "It's unusual because it's something you would expect to see on the outside of the home."

Williamson thinks the cathedral ceilings with their exposed beams are original, too, and maybe the stained oak floors.

Although many original features of the home remain, it has been expanded.

The couple suspects the kitchen was updated before they bought the home in 2001.

"The cabinets looks '50s-ish or '60s-ish to me," Williamson said.

A den had been added, too, as well as a triple-car garage and a courtyard.

The additions are hard to see from the front of the irregularly shaped lot, another of the hallmarks of Davis' planned neighborhood.

Also hidden is the original garage, which has been converted into a one-bedroom, one-bath cottage.

All of the renovations were in keeping with the original style of the house, which the couple had rewired and replumbed.

"I just love the feel of it and the '20s look," Williamson said. "We love the neighborhood, the sidewalk and the ocean breezes."

"There are good spirits here," she said.

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A Look At The Style

Mediterranean revival characteristics:

* Barrel tile, Spanish "S" tile or flat concrete tile

* Metal handrails and spindles

* Small arched casement windows

* Ornamental windows with glazing

* Light-colored stucco finish

* Ground-level porch with arched openings

* Houses are ornate, asymmetrical and eclectic

Source: Town of Jupiter Planning and Zoning Department

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Did you know?

A group of graduate students in the historic preservation program at the University of Florida for several months have been conducting research in Davis Shores. The area had never had a historical survey, said Roy Graham, Director of College Preservation Programs at the University of Florida.

The group plans to present their findings to the St. Augustine North Davis Shores Neighborhood Association Dec. 13 at Government House. A time has not yet been set.

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Thank you and the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Florida for this story. I revel in the variety and eclecticism of Davis Shores, and I am glad to see that some academicians also appreciate the story as to how Davis Shores' character developed.

When I moved here in 2003 from Baltimore, I ended up in Davis Shores at Inlet Villas on Inlet Dr. Since then the apartments have been demolished and only an empty lot is left. I think this is one of the most enchanting neighborhoods on the island. I'm happy to read more of it's history.

I too, am a residence of this area. I'm a native and this truly is the most peaceful, safe, tropical, friendly neighborhood in St. Johns County. Neighbors are all friendly, no crime, salty breezes, very low commercialism (which has ruined the rest of St. Johns Co over last 15 years), tropical enviroment, marina, reggae music......

Davis did achieve his dream of creating a paradise, as far as I'm concerned.....